Bombing Suspect Arrested In Ohio After Being Spotted In Denver

DENVER (CBS4) – A man suspected of bombing a synagogue in California has been arrested after drawing the attention of authorities in Denver.

Ron Hirsch, 60, is accused of planting a homemade explosive device at Chabad House Lubavitch in Santa Monica last week.

The FBI says just hours after the explosion, which damaged the building but didn’t injure anyone, Hirsch bought a ticket to New York and made a stop in Denver. In Denver, at the Greyhound station downtown, he allegedly bought a new ticket and was last seen headed east.

Authorities released photos of Hirsch at the bus stop downtown as part of a crime alert.

Hirsch was eventually arrested on Monday night in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, apparently after coming in contact with a concerned citizen.

While in Santa Monica Hirsch was known to hang out around Jewish centers, begging for food and money. When the Jewish community in Denver got word from the FBI that Hirsch was spotted in Denver they took action.

The Anti-Defamation League says they take any threat, no matter how big or small, very seriously.

“We immediately sent out an alert out to over 180 institutions to make them aware of that,” League spokesman Scott Levin told CBS4.

After word came that Hirsch had been arrested the Anti-Defamation League said they would keep the warnings in place until authorities release more details about the case.

One Comment

Was he also Jewish? I wonder with that last name. Also, what was the reason for doing this? Is he just crazy? He knew enough to run that’s for sure! I hope we find out more about this man. I feel badly for the Synagogue that was bombed, how terrible!